The purpose of this website/ information is to
promote public awareness/protection, prevent you and those close to you from
the potential dangers posed by individuals who have committed sex offences in the past and to
deter sex offenders from offending/re- offending. Any criminal actions taken by persons against
the offenders named within this site, may result in arrest and prosecution of those persons.

POLICE were under fire yesterday for keeping a sexual assault of a
boy at the Australian Open a secret for four days.
Parents watching the tennis with their children yesterday were incensed
that they had not been warned a child molester was on the loose.
More than 190,000 spectators, including many children, have strolled
around Melbourne Park since the boy, 5, was assaulted in toilets at
Rod Laver Arena on Monday.
One police spokesman, Leigh Wadeson, yesterday said the crime
was "completely isolated".
Another, Katherine Jess, said the official silence was the result
of detectives "taking into account the need to inform the public
balanced against the risk of jeopardising the investigation".
"In these circumstances, given the nature of the offence and the
available evidence, it was deemed not to be an advantage to release
the information at the time," she said.
Police said they were examining video security footage and, with the
boy's help, had produced a face image of the attacker.
But they refused to release it yesterday.
Australian Open officials said police had ordered them to stay silent.
"Our hands have been tied by the police investigation in terms of
sharing this information," Tennis Australia chief executive Steve
Wood said. "That's why we didn't come out with the information straight
away – because we were asked not to.
"They said, `Please keep it quiet,' and I said, `We can do that'."
It's believed the assault became public only because of an anonymous
email sent to the media.
The boy was assaulted about 5pm on Monday – the same day a violent race
brawl erupted in Garden Square – as his mother waited outside the toilets.
When he didn't immediately return, his worried mother asked a security
guard to investigate.
"The mother was concerned when it took some time for him to come out, so
sent a security guard in there, who yelled out to him," Sen-Constable
David Fitzgerald said.
The boy followed the guard out and told his mother what had happened.
By then, his attacker had fled.
Australian Childhood Foundation chief Dr Joe Tucci criticised the failure
to warn parents.
"I think that they have let down the public by not telling people," he
said.
"They could have not only told people but issued a series of guidelines
to parents to help them decide what to do in those circumstances, rather
than just hoping it won't happen again.
"Sex offenders aren't random in their attacks: they're planned, they're
manipulative, they're calculated. That's the sort of person you're trying
to guard against as a parent."
Parents at Melbourne Park yesterday lashed out.
"I really think they should have said something, or at least give a description
of the guy," mother of two Tracey Page said.
Anne Phegan agreed: "That's way too much time. They should have said something."
Therese Corrigan was with her three boys when she was told about the assault by
the Herald Sun.
"They absolutely should have told us," she said.
"One of the boys just asked if he could go to the toilet, and I told one of
the others to go with him.
"But that's just instinctive – I had no idea."
Members of the sexual offences and child abuse unit are investigating.

A TOILET block sexual assault of a five-year-old boy at
the Australian Open was kept secret by Victorian police for
four days.
Tennis fans were not warned a sex offender was at large after
the boy was assaulted in a Rod Laver Arena toilet on Monday.
Police spokeswoman Katherine Jess said yesterday that the
decision by investigators had represented a compromise – "taking
into account the need to inform the public balanced against the risk
of jeopardising the investigation".
Australian Open officials yesterday blamed police for the
delay, saying detectives had ordered them not to make the attack
public.
"Our hands have been tied by the police investigation in terms of
sharing this information," Tennis Australia chief executive Steve
Wood said.
"They said: 'please keep it quiet' and I said: 'we can
do that.' " The boy was assaulted about 5pm on Monday – the same day
as a violent race brawl erupted between Serbian, Croatian and Greek
fans – as his mother waited outside. When her son did not return, the
worried mother asked a guard to investigate.
"The mother was concerned when it took some time for him to come out
so (she) sent a security guard in there who yelled out to him," a police
spokesman said.
The boy then followed the guard out of the toilet block and told his
mother what had happened.
The attacker fled before the boy re-emerged.
Since then, more than 190,000 spectators, many of them children, have
strolled round Melbourne Park unaware of the attack.
Australian Childhood Foundation chief Joe Tucci castigated Tennis
Australia and police for failing to warn parents that a sex offender
was at large.
"I think that they have let down the public by not telling
people," Dr Tucci said.
Police said they were examining video footage and had produced
a facial image of the attacker with the boy's help.
They refused to release it yesterday.